


Driftwood

by xanam



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, roxas being overdramatic and sad, spiritual hugging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 03:07:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14991440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanam/pseuds/xanam
Summary: As Sora runs through The World That Never Was, Roxas contemplates what's really going on, as well as the face of the girl left forgotten. RokuShi oneshot, takes place during DDD.





	Driftwood

Missing, missing... Something's missing. Something's been missing for so, so long. He's known it since at least his awakening from the data Twilight Town. But what? What's missing? His sense of identity? His sense of self? A body to call his own, and only his?

No. He knows of that already, and he doubts it’s something he can ever have. He’s complacent, but right now he’s powerless to change things. This is different, something agonisingly far from reach yet so close-

A name tries to rise to the surface of his mind, it's in the tip of his tongue. It boils and sizzles away to nothingness before it can.

An aching in his heart. Even knowing he  _ has _ one is recent, but it doesn't stop it aching nonetheless.

There's a girl. A girl with a kind smile and big blue eyes. His newfound heart warms at the thought, yet is tainted by the oddest trace of sadness. Who is she? He knows that face.

...Naminé? No... That doesn't quite sound right. He  _ knows _ Naminé's name, and yet his heart isn't satisfied, yearning for a deeper truth, as if he's still neglecting to remember someone much dearer to him.

It's on the tip of his tongue. Two syllables. Something, something... He lets out a cry of frustration. Once again, it's plunged to the depths of his heart as he drowns in every emotion he can imagine, yet that he's still unable to comprehend.

He feels a twinge of something dark, and he shudders. That definitely wasn't caused by his wandering thoughts. Something is resonating from within Sora's heart, something familiar yet dangerous, and Roxas can't shake the thought that something is terribly, terribly wrong.

His Other's trip through the sleeping worlds didn't seem to be working out so well. If it wasn't for the fear that sliver of darkness was inducing in him, he might have even been smug about it, thinking of every way he could've done it better, have been a far more capable keyblade master.

But here he is, recoiling as he gains an even deeper sense of foreboding. He tries to reach out, to think, to sense where Sora is. He can't gather the strength required to see for himself right now.

A dreadfully familiar sense of emptiness. Hopelessness, as if left to wander empty, endless corridors, wishing for freedom that felt impossible. He knew this place well - beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was The World That Never Was.

_ What the hell is he doing? _

_ Why is he here? _

_ This isn't a sleeping world. _

_ The exam can't be over already. _

But he knows - the exam  _ isn't  _ over. Sora is still asleep, he can sense it. Something just doesn’t add up, and he has to know what it is.

Finally, Roxas gathers the strength, and lets his entire being flow into Sora's, letting Sora’s thoughts become his own in a tangled yet functional mess.

_ Sora runs. He's running and he's running. His clothes have returned back to their usual look, he notes as he continues forward. He must be awake. The exam must be over. _

_ But the figures he keeps seeing... Is he hallucinating in his tired state? He doesn't truly recognise everyone, but his heart aches, every time. _

_ A small figure runs further ahead, someone in a black coat. Roxas? _

(If he wasn't so focused on remaining a part of Sora's consciousness, he might've laughed at that.)

_ He takes off running again, pace quickening as he tries to catch up. _

_ "Wait-" _

_ The figure finally stops, turning around, and the first thing Sora notices is just how much she looks like Kairi, only younger and with darker hair. _

Roxas' heart stops.

_ "Who... Are you?" Sora asks carefully, confused. Her face is filled with sadness at his question and she turns, vanishing. _

Xi... Something.

 

Xi...

 

 

Xion.

 

 

 

_ Xion. _

 

 

 

The dam breaks, the memories rushing back like a tidal wave.

Roxas can't help it, feeling a tear slide down Sora's cheek as he quickly slinks away into the furthest recesses of his heart, hoping his Other won't realise what just happened.

Xion. Of course.

How... How could he ever forget her?!

Memories flash through his mind. Blank patches of time where he was alone when Axel was at Castle Oblivion burst back to life-

 

\- sudden memories of ice cream and seashells and sticks and keyblades and a sense of  _ belonging _ -

 

 

-of the lonely days when neither were there to greet him, of comas and arguments and deception-

 

 

-of laugher, of joy-

 

 

 

-of wholeness that leaves him gasping for air, barely keeping himself on the surface of this metaphorical sea of feelings, and wondering how he ever lived without it.

 

 

 

_ Xion _ . The most special person in his life. Xion, who kept him company when he needed it most. Xion, discarded by Organisation XIII (XIII, not XIV, as if they could ever truly see her as equal) like a toy they had gotten tired of. But never Axel. Never  _ Roxas _ .

He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. Why did he have to forget her?  _ How could he?! _ Truly, he was disgusting. This was his fault, he'd fought her, he'd killed her, and the return of those memories in particular made him want to scream. Why couldn't he be his own person?! Why did he have to be connected to Sora in this way?! If he wasn't... If he wasn't, they wouldn't have had to fight. If he wasn't, maybe they could've run away together, hidden away, living their lives happily together, far away from this mess. Maybe they could've gone to the beach, just as they promised, maybe made themselves somewhere to call home.

 

Xion.

There had to be a way to get her back, but for now, all he could do was stand tall, stand brave, try to have hope.

His mind had remained distracted from the sense of foreboding that rested within Sora’s dreams, but it had yet to vanish. In fact… Wasn’t this a dream? Maybe he’d be able to reach out further, let Sora see his presence…

 

_ ‘Roxas…’ _

 

He started at the gentle voice, whispering like an echo. It was hard to tell if the words had truly been spoken at all or if they were mere echoes on the wind, ripples on the water, like the girl they sounded so much like.

 

_ ‘Roxas… Can you hear me?’ _

 

His eyes widened.

“...Xion?”

A warm, fuzzy feeling, as though her heart was nestled by his own. Comforting, washing away the anger he held at the world, at himself and allowing it to fizzle out. Reassuring him. Supporting him. Loving him.

“You came back to his heart too, huh?” He lets out a faint, breathy laugh. “I’m… Really glad you’re here with me.”

The feeling burned brighter, and he found himself laughing along with her. She  _ wasn’t _ gone, she was right here, right with him… Their hearts were together, if not quite one.

If only for a brief moment, the unease took over once more and he could tell that even Xion seemed unsettled, clearly sensing it too. Wondering if it would even work as he intended, he shot her back all feelings of reassurance he could muster, before contemplating how to project himself to Sora.

“I’ll be back,” He said, not even sure if she could truly hear him. “And then we’ll try to figure out how to get you out of here.”

He was nobody, nobody but Sora, Sora’s nobody… But she didn’t even have that, and he was determined to make sure she got far better then this.

_ I’ll make it up to you, Xion… I’ll never forget, never again. _

**Author's Note:**

> aaaaaaah, it's rokushi day! this is the first time i've written anything for kh and i rushed through it in one day between bathroom breaks at work and the bus home, but i've got it finalised and i'm fairly happy with the result! i hope it was enjoyable, please let me know what you think!


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